J Phillis D
by littlebabyturtlelove
Summary: She woke up with no recollection of who she was or how she got there. The only clues she will receive is from a phone, and the only help she will get is from a boy with a Hockey stick named Casey Jones. Now she must uncover her past filled with Ninjas, Turtles, Rats, and people called Readers? Not knowing your life makes you think crazy things (A continuation to my Arinna Trilogy)
1. Chapter 1

**_GAH PEOPLE! So many of you wont get off my back about this little One-shot XD I made it as a quick little 'Maybe' kind of story I would write but you all kept saying 'make it into an actual story'! "I wanna see what happens!" "Make more"_**

**_So, your pushy fanfiction ways have pulled through. I shall turn this into an actual story, just for you guys. _**

**_I can't say I will update this often, but I will try to keep it on a normal schedule for when I update. So, here we go!_**

_It is dark… and cold. So very cold. It is strange. I feel like… I shouldn't be cold. I don't really get cold. _

_Why am I cold? I can't seem to move either. _

_What is this? _

_Why am I- Oh god, I'm dead. I'm dead, aren't I? Yup, I died. Aren't I smart?! I can't really think of any other reason to explain this situation. I'm cold, it is dark, I can't move, and I'm starting to get a feeling that something important happened not too long ago. Something like, "I just got shot or something' type of important. I wonder if I really got shot? I don't feel any pain, but perhaps I went numb a while ago? _

_So yeah, I'm dead. That has got to be it. That or I'm blindfolded and chained to the floor of a freezer. _

_That is a weird place to be, but that is my only other assumption to what is going on. Cause I mean, out of all the places to put me, why a freezer? Ya wanna keep me fresh for when you eat me later? _

_Oh whoa, no, back away from that topic. Cannibalism. Not fun. Not fun at all. Changing topics. _

_Lets go back to the whole, everything is dark thing, shall we? I mean, I know it isn't the best topic to discuss, but it is much better then the cold. Cause we all know where that led us. Again, not going back to that last topic. _

_Dark. _

_We are focusing on dark. _

_Wait, we? What the- who are all you? Yeah, all of you! The people standing there just… staring at me. It is weird that I can see you even though everything is dark? It is like you are all bypassing the laws of nature or something. _

_Why are you all staring at me anyway? Do I have something on my face? Am I not wearing pants? Well, I can't really look down at myself to know since, as I said before, I can't really move, but whatever. I'm just gonna have trust in myself that I put on pants and not talk about this anymore. _

_Now, about before, who are you people?  
>…The Readers of Fanfiction? What… in the world does that mean?! That gives me no idea at all to who you all are! I mean, you are Readers, I get that. What is Fanfiction?<br>Actually, you know what, I don't want to know. I feel I might regret it if I break down that fourth wall, so no, don't tell me. I'll just accept things as they are for now. _

_…__Where was I? Oh yeah! Dark. Yeah, you people keep distracting me. _

_So yup, it is dark. I am either blindfold or blind. I'm assuming/pray that I'm blindfolded. _

"Hey. Hey you." Something suddenly nudged me. "Ya some agent or somethin'?" the voice asked.

_Who ever the person was, they were starting to get annoyed and kicked me. I'm serious, they kicked me. _

_Who even does that? _

Feeling a small tingle in my side from the impact, my body shifted on its own. Something from the way I shifted seemed to jolt the rest of my body and I felt my eyes snap open.

With a yell of shock as pain suddenly coursed through my body I sprang up, gasping out. Lashing out, my body twisted and turned in ways I never thought I could do before and before I realized it… it stopped.

I was panting, for some reason, and standing straight, my fists held up in the air, looking ready for a fight. I felt like some sort of boxer or something.

Blinking a few times, I felt so confused to where I was. Looking around, I began to focus on my surroundings. I was in an alley, surrounded by towering buildings. The alley was relatively empty except for a few trash cans here and then.

I could even hear beeping cars in the distance, meaning I was close to some large roads.

_What the- where am I?_

"Ugh." A soft groan behind me caught my attention. Turning ever so slightly, feeling awkward, I was surprised to see a man in his mid 40's collapsed on the floor, clutching his stomach.

"Oh! Are you okay?!" I gasped at the sight of him. When I reached down to help him he slapped my hand away.

"Get away from me ya freak!' he screamed. "Ya can't just go attackin' people like that!"

Jumping a bit in surprise, I frowned. _Attacking people? I wasn't sure what he meant. I hadn't- Oh, wait a minute. _

Recalling when I first opened my eyes and lashed out, I covered my mouth in realization. "Oh jeez, I am so sorry. Really, I didn't mean to." I apologized, understanding that I had attacked the man when I awoke. "You surprised me is all."

"I surprised you?" he gawked at me, his cloudy brown eyes narrowed suspiciously. Rising to his feet, the man trudged towards me. His back was hunched forward and he reeked of alcohol. From what I could tell, and by the cloths he was wearing, I could only assume that this man was homeless.

"Yes?" I shrugged. "You snuck up on me. That isn't a good thing to do against…. Against…"  
><em>Against, what? What am I exactly? <em>

_Wait a minute… I know this might sound crazy, but hear me out. Cause I'm really starting to freak right now. _

_…__I don't know who I am. _

_Yeah, that's right, you heard me. You would think I would have brought this up sooner, but hey, I was distracted. Cold, and dark, ya know? _

"What ever you are, you better scuttle out of here!" The man motioned for me to leave and sauntered over to the nearest trash can. "Ya hippie." He grumbled.

_Scuttle out of here? Who even says that anymore?_

Shaking my head, I reached up to rub my temple. My head had suddenly started to throb. It hurt, a lot, and I wasn't sure why.

_Well, I can't remember anything, so maybe I hit my head? That was probably it. _

"Sorry to disturb you sir." I apologized, pressing my palm against the wall for support before trudging towards the street.

"Whatever." I faintly heard the man behind me as I continued towards the bright lights of the street. Moving out of the ally, my eyes widened at the large city that stood before me.

_What City is this? It is huge!_

Looking right to left, I was surprised to see that there weren't many people out. It was dark, so maybe everyone had gone to bed? It must be late then. How late?  
>Unsure of which way I should go, and unwilling to go back and ask that man for directions, I made a quick choice.<p>

"Eeny, meeny, miny, mo-" I began to say, pointing back and forth between the street. Deciding on the left street, I quickly moved down it. Unsure of where I was going, I scanned the buildings for any sort of clue. Anything at all to where I am. Or maybe a Police Station?

I was coming up with nothing. That is, until I walked towards this store that said, _New Yorkers Timely Good._

_New York. _

_Oh, that is right. This is New York City. My city. I've lived here forever… I think. I'm not even sure. I'm still not to sure on who I am. _

_Maybe I should find a hospital or something? I'm sure they could help me.  
>Where is a hospital though? <em>

Frowning, I hummed in contemplation. Glancing left to right, I looked into several stores to see if anyone was inside, or if any of them were open. I was hoping that if they were, I could go in and ask for directions to the nearest hospital. Most of the stores were closed though.

Glancing to my right, I frowned to find that the store was also closed.

_Great just my- Whoa! Go back! Go back!_

Stopping, I reversed my path and moved back to stand in front of the window. My eyes widened at the sight of my reflection.

_What was I wearing?!  
><em>I was wearing some sort of full body black cat suit that hugged my body tightly. Thankfully it was more of a velvet texture than leather. It matched well with the knee high buckled boots and leather jacket I was wearing.

_…__Why… how… what sort of fashion sense do I have? I don't know about you, but I definitely feel like I wouldn't normally wear something like this. _

Moving from side to side to see the different angles of myself, just to make sure I wasn't seeing things, I focused in on the large belt I had strapped to my waist.

I hadn't noticed till now, but there looked to be like to hoisters connected to the belt. One held up a bag that hung limply from my waist, while the other held some sort of closed up device.

Reaching down, I opened up the bag to find several rows of metal arrows.

_Arrows?_

Taking one out to examine it, I was shocked at the amazing quality it held. The metal was definitely heavy duty stuff, and the feather at the end must have been made using fine silks.

Completely awed, I ran my fingers over the arrow, twirling it slightly in my hand. When I was satisfied, yet very confused, with it, I placed it back in the bag.

_Why in the world did I have a random bag of arrows on me? I mean really-_

Mid thought, I moved my hand to the other hoister and lifted out the weird looking device. It looked like some sort of folded up-

"Ah!" I jumped when the device suddenly unfolded, showing its true shape. It was a Bow.

_Oh! Okay, so that is why I have a random bag of arrows! Wait… no, that still doesn't make much sense. Why do I have a bow too?!_

_GASP! Am I some sort of assassin?! If so, that is totally wicked. Well, I mean, it is bad that I am killing people, but I must have awesome aiming skills. _

_Though, I'm sure the assassin thing is probably wrong. I don't feel like I could handle killing a person. If that is the case though, then why do I have these?_

_They definitely feels familiar to me. So why? _

Holding the bow tightly in my palm, I sigh. The feeling of wanting to go home spread wildly through my heart. _A home? Did I even have a home? _

_I think I do… somewhere. _

With another broken sigh, my shoulders slouched. Placing the bow back in the holster on my back, I looked back up at my reflection.

"Hey… who are you?" I asked myself, gently touching the window. Tilting my head, I examined myself closely.

_Well, since I don't remember my own name, maybe I should give myself on? It would be awkward if I met someone knew and didn't have a name to give them. _

_Who should I be? Of course it would only be temporary until I remember my own name, so I'll just refer to this new name as I nickname. _

Looking myself up and down, I contemplated on what sort of name it should be. It had to be something original. Something unique.

Or maybe something funny? Since I'm naming myself I could go wild here.

"Sparkley Unicorn Pants." I winked at myself, snapping my fingers. With a laugh I shook my head. _Who would even have a name like that? I would never be taken seriously. _

"Oh!" My head snapped to attention when I thought of a name. "I know!" I grinned. Stepping back, I pointed to myself dramatically. "From hence forth, you shall be known as… Phillis!"

_I like the name Phillis. _

_Oh hey, I wonder if I look weird pointing to my own reflection and talking to it? Hope no one thinks I am crazy. _

_…__Am I crazy? I'm talking to people in my brain, so that might point to me being crazy. _

_Who knows. _

With a shrug, I smiled at myself. "Alright Phillis, lets find you a hospital." I chuckled to myself. I was about to turn away from the window, when I saw movement within the reflection. Watching the movement closely I could see it approaching me from behind.

Or should I say, _they _were approaching me from behind.

Whirling around, I was surprised when five bulky and very gruesome looking men surrounded me.

They glared down at me, sending warning chills up my spin.

_Who were these guys? They approached me for a reason, that much is obvious. _

"Ummm, hello," I waved hesitantly. "Do I know you?"

The first man, this guy with a big scruffy beard, suddenly lunged forward, his fist outstretched.

_WHOA!_

I shrieked and dropped down just in time for it to sail over my head.

_Did that guys just try to punch me? Why?! What did I ever do to him?! Oh wait, maybe I shouldn't ask that? Since I have amnesia I have no idea if I ever did anything to him or not. He might have good reason to be trying to hurt me right now. _

_Doesn't mean I agree though. _

"Rude!" I rolled away, back flipping back to my feet. "Very rude!"

_…__Did I just… back flip? _

_Now…. How did I do that? The ducking thing could be chalked up to luck (though I'm pretty sure I don't have much and if I did I definitely wouldn't use it for that) but the back flip was just weird. Since when did I have the abs or leg muscles for that_?

A glint to my left made me twist around hurriedly as one of the men tried to stab me.

_Stab me. _

_Knife! Knife! Dear god, what is wrong with these people! They were seriously trying to kill me! Why are they trying to do that?! _

I panicked and kicked my foot out, taking out the guys' knee and making him fall into the first guy. They both fell to the floor.

Before I could marvel at my newfound assassinness, _yes that is a word_, the remaining three men charged at me.

_Okay, first let me say I have no idea who these people are. You already know this, of course. I know I have amnesia but seriously, what could I have possibly done to warrant this kind of behavior?! Oh, wait, assassin. Wait, I might not even be an assassin! That was a total guess. Killing others just isn't my slice of pie…. Cake… Or um- how does that saying go again?_

_Did I mention that throughout all of this rambling I was miraculously dodging giant thuggy (this is a word to me as well), yet very well groomed, men? Cause I was._

I kicked out again, sending the two men that were standing up back to the ground. Another made a grab for me but I twisted around and slammed my elbow into the side of his neck. He fell on top of the other two.

_Oh. Elbow to the throat. Ouch. _

The remaining two men circled me. _How was I supposed to get out of this?_

_Oh, oh! I think I know! How did it go again though?_

_Some movie with a ninja kid and he kicked butt! What did he do again? He… bent his knees and- he kicked them both at the same time. He was in the air too. I wonder-_

The jumped upward at the same time the men leapt at me. Jumping as high as I could in the air I threw my feet out into a swift split kick that caught them both in the faces.

_My landing was a little, uh, not so graceful but it totally worked!_

I cheered, pumping my fist in the air and accidentally catching one of the thugs in the nose.

_Oops._

"Oh, sorry," I turned around, stepping on the hand of another. "Sorry!" Before backing into the same one I had punched and causing him to fall over. "I am so sorry."

_I'm just a walking disaster, aren't I?_

_I wonder how I was able to do all of that though. It kind of just felt… natural to do all of those things. I wonder if I am an assassin. Or maybe a Ninja? That would be cool. _

I paused from my thoughts when the men began to move.

They stumbled to their feet, growling under their breathes. I think I might have made them angry.

_Hah! What am I saying? I definitely angered them. Look at the steam of anger streaming out from their noses. Totally furious. _

The circled me again, their arms out to block me from running.

_The jerks. I wouldn't run away from this fight anyway! Though it is cowardly to attack a girl and have an unfair advantage of five to one. _

The one on my left kicked forward and I twisted out of the way, hissing when it skimmed my side. _Stupid boots. And they are pointed too! What sort of person wears pointed boots? _

_Well, I think cowboys do. I dunno. I guess it is just some sort of fashion craze. _

While I was distracted the one behind me snagged my hood and threw me into the guy directly in front of me who swung out to stab me.

_Cheating! Totally cheating!_ _And again with the knife! Have some originality, please! _

I barely twisted away in time unable to regain my balance and stumbling into the one on my right. He punched me in the stomach, sending me tumbling back.

_Oh... jeez. Air, there goes my air. That hurt… that really hurt. _

"Ow, ow, ow," I hissed, holding my sides. The last man cracked his knuckles as he stepped towards me.

_Huh. He was much… bigger than the others…._

_Yup, there was only one true solution to this type of situation. Watch closely audience, for I am about to teach you something very important. _

Lifting my fist slowly, I bent my knees, ready for my next attack. He must have sensed how serious I suddenly got, and moved to deflect anything I threw at him.

Narrowing my eyes, I opened my mouth, ready to say something cool.

"…" _Nope_

…Twirling around I booked it down the other street, sprinting as fast as I could away from those men. _Run away!_

Stunned, the men's eyes widened as they watched me flee. Taking a few seconds to collect themselves, they dashed after me.

_Yeah, okay, I ran away. That was my great solution. Don't judge me! I couldn't think of anything better and I had a really bad feeling that it wouldn't be good if I got caught right now. I wonder why that is though? Those men were definitely bad news. Not just because they tried to beat me up, for no good reason, but the look in their eyes… it was evil_

"Bye!" I shrieked as I cut across the street to the wired fence that lead towards a few apartment buildings.

_Okay, so far my assassin luck has been going pretty well for me. I just need to play my cards right and hope my luck lasts. So, to see just how assassin like I was, I was going to try something out. _

_Hopefully I didn't fail and land flat on my face. _

"Please work, please work, please work," I ran up to the fence, and in one motion leapt up, grabbed the top, and flipped over the side. Landing in a roll I jumped back up, a little unsteadily, and booked to the apartment buildings.

I heard the men pause behind me as they started to slowly climb the fence.

_Mwuahahaha, take that suckers!_

A loud bang suddenly sounded off and something whizzing past my ear just about giving me a heart attack.

_AH! Holy- what in the world?! Was that a bullet? A bullet from a gun?!_

_They had guns?! Little metallic creations of death?! AHHHHH!_

Chancing a quick glance I could see two of the five man had already made it over the fence and were charging after me like a herd of rampaging elephants.

_A stampede! _

Turning abruptly into an alleyway I threw the trashcans in front of me to the ground in hopes of slowing them down.

_Okay, that had to slow them down just a bit-_

Looking behind me I saw them leap over those like professional Hurdleists.

_Oh… they were good. Okay, new plan._

Ducking down another street, I sprinted as fast as I could towards the other end.

I _don't know how I knew where I was going, heck I probably didn't, but I took whatever turns seemed right and somehow never ended up in a dead end. These streets felt familiar in a way I didn't understand._

_Strange_

A ladder up ahead caught my attention_. _The thugs_ (because honestly, who does stuff like this?) _hadn't turned the corner yet and the ladder wasn't actually touching the ground. It was pulled up and kind of hidden.

_Not entirely sure how I saw it but I'll take what I can get!_

Leaping up onto the nearest trashcan I jumped up and grabbed the closest bar of the ladder I could. Climbing up swiftly I pulled myself up onto the fire escape right as my pursuers turned the corner. Pulling my hood up I pushed myself into the darkest corner and held my breath.

_Calm breaths. Calm breaths. Keep quiet Phillis… keep quiet. _

_…__Jeez I really like that name. I mean, I have this feeling it definitely isn't my own name, but I still liked it. _

Cutting my thoughts short, I heard the men rush into the alley. They looked around for a few seconds before nodding and splitting up.

_That was creepy. There wasn't even any sign language. What, did they just look into each other's eyes?_

_Oh well, I could question that later. First, safety._

_For now, I was safe. Those goons were still looking for me though, so I had to move carefully. _

Instead of jumping back down I decided it would be safer to climb up to the roof. I didn't want to take the chance of running into any of those goons so it would be best to go up instead of down.

_I smiled and patted myself on the back. Good job Phillis, a well thought out plan._

_…__For once. _

Pulling myself up to the roof, I let out a heavy sigh I didn't even realize I had been holding in.

…_Well, I definitely had a fun day. Woke up in an alley way unable to move and cold, got yelled at by a hobo, and was attacked and chased by big gorilla men. Oh, and I am hungry. _

_It is like high school all over again. _

_…__I think. I can't really remember. I might be over exaggerating. _

Turning my head, I looked out to the city. It was calm and the lights sparkled brightly in the night. Even if you couldn't see the starts above, the city lights illuminated the area enough to seem like stars.

Titling my head, I smiled a bit.

_It was beautiful._

_And the funny thing is, I think I've seen this view. Several times actually. Like I grew up with such a beautiful view. _

_It is only sad that I can't seem to remember all those views. Or even who I am, who I was with, or how I was feeling at those times. _

_I was… alone. _

Sliding down to the ground, leaning against the railing, I pulled my knees up to my chest.

_I was tired, hungry, and alone. I could put up with being hungry, being tired was to be expected… but being alone. That felt like a hard thing to deal with. _

_Being alone scared me for some reason. Like I had been alone a lot or something. Isn't that depressing? _

Closing my eyes tightly, I hid them within my knees. _To be honest… I wanted to cry. I'd rather be chased by those men then be alone. _

_And that is saying something. _

With a lonely whimper I reached down and pulled out my bow. Staring at it, I titled my head at the unfamiliar engraving.

_Had I always had this bow? To be honest, it felt really knew. Like I was only recently given it. It didn't feel like the bow I always carry with me. _

_…__Why do I always carry a bow with me anyway?_

"Hey! Watch out!" a sudden voice called out to me. Before I could react, something smacked against the back of my head.

"OW!" I cried out in pain when my vision blurred and I saw stares. When they started to clear, my brain snapped into attention. Panicking, thinking those men had found me again, I whirled around.

Behind me a figure started running towards me, they movements quick, as if they were gliding. I couldn't see their face, but I could tell they were wearing this black and white hockey mask.

…_Something about a guy wearing a hockey mask and coming at me just freaked me out. I think there was a movie on it or something._

"AH!" I screeched, placing an arrow on the bow and pointing to meet the person head on.

Freezing, only a few feet from where I was, the person jumped back. "Whoa! Whoa!' they screamed, holding their hands up, hoping to show they meant no arm. "Sorry! Sorry!"

Shocked, my eyes widened at the small figure before me. _Small? Those men weren't small… or lengthy. _

Quickly reaching up, the new arrival removed their hood to reveal his face.

He has slicked back black hair held back with a black bandana. His face, slightly rounded, had a few freckles dusting his cheeks. Blinking his wide brown eyes at me, he tilted his head. "H-Hey uh… lady? Can ya put down the sharp arrow?" he questioned nervously.

_A… child? Oh! A child! _

Snapping to my own hands, I froze to find I had set an arrow to the bow. _I almost attacked a child! _My hand has just moved on its own. It was reflex!

Quickly lowering my hand, I let out a sigh of relief. "I…I'm so sorry, I mistook you for someone else." I stammered.

"Someone else?" the kid questioned, glancing at my bow in confusion. "Ya in some trouble or somethin'?"  
>Unsure of how to answer, I glanced down to the alley, hoping I wasn't followed. "…In a way."<p>

"It is either ya are, or ya aren't." the kid chuckled. Moving back a bit, he pushed off against his feet. _Oh, he was wearing roller blades. That is why it looked like he was gliding. I thought he was a ghost or something. _"Well Lady, you just came into my side of the town." He smirked.

"Your side of the town?" I frowned.

"Yeah. I watch the streets over here. Nothing goes down that I don't know about." He smirked, reaching behind him to pull out a hockey stick.

_Had he always had that with him? I didn't even notice. _

"So don't ya worry. If any one is ruffin ya up, I'll take care of em'." he assured me.

_Heh, that is kinda cute. He is like a little vigilante. _

"Heh, thanks." I chuckled, slowly frowning, "But I don't think you can-"  
>"Name is Casey Jones." The kid leapt forward, twirling his hockey stick around. "Who are you? It is a little early to be dressing up for Halloween. What are ya, an assassin?"<p>

Hesitant to answer, I lowered my head. "I um…" I trailed off. "I'm Phillis."

"Phillis?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah… well, sort of." I nodded.

"Is Phillis sort for somethin'?" he question, looking ready to laugh at my name the moment I said it.

"No."

And with that, he laughed. "That is such a weird name!"

"Is not." I frowned at him. "It is a wonderful name that I gave myself."

That made him stop his laughing to give me a weird look. "Ya gave yourself? You legally changed your name to Phillis? Why would you do that?"

"I didn't legally change it. I just gave myself the name a little bit ago." I folded my arms, looking away from him.

_Oh, wait a minute Phillis, what are you doing? Stop talking. _

"…Why a little bit ago? Why not just stay with your original name?" he didn't look any less confused.

_Don't do it. Don't say it. _

I hesitated. "…Cause I don't know my own name."

_Anddddd, I said it. Way to go Phillis. Ya gossip. _

"Don't know?"

I nodded meekly. _I don't really know what compelled me to tell this boy who I was, but the words came out before I could stop them. _

"I don't know my name. I just woke up and now… I'm being chased by these creeps." It felt nice to talk to someone and not be alone.

"Whoa, seriously? That sucks." The so called Casey, said bluntly.

"You have no idea." I sighed, moving to lean against the railing.

"Oh hey, sorry. I didn't mean to upset ya or anythin'." He said quickly, looking a little guilty. I must have had a pretty depressing look on my face for him to suddenly act like that.

"It is fine." I assured him. He didn't seem very convinced but nodded anyway.

"So um… anythin' I can do to help? It is my job to help the weak after all." He said proudly, slamming his fist into his chest. Chuckling at his enthusiasm, I shrugged.

"I'm not sure. You could start I guess by telling my where I am."

"East Hampton." He explained. "Ya need a hospital or somethin' JD?"

"Yeah that would be really helpfu- JD?" I tilted me head when he called me that.

"Yeah, you know, Jane Doe? They call people that when they don't know their name and stuff." He explained.

"I told you my name is Phillis." I frowned.

"There is no way I am calling you Phillis." He frowned back at me.

"Phillis is a great name!" I argued.

"It isn't at all. Not even slightly. It is a name for nerds! If you get a chance to name yourself, you got to give yourself a cool name. JD is way cooler then _Phillis." _

"That is where we disagree." I turned away. _Phillis was an awesome name. Anyone who said other wise was weird. _There was a small pause before I felt him shifting side to side behind me, as if it was uncomfortable to him not to move around. Glancing back at him, I blinked. "You said we were in East Hampton, right?"

He nodded. "Yup. The nearest hospital is a few blocks from here."

Nodding my head, I rubbed my chin. _East Hampton. Okay, that sort of sounds familiar to me. I think I've been here before a few times. _

_Yeah, I came down here with… with… who did I come down here with? There was definitely someone with me. A friend maybe?_

_I think we were-_

_"_AH!" I sudden hot flash of pain shot across my eyes. Gripping my head slightly my upper body collapsed to the ground, scrapping my side against the concrete.

At the piercing pain in my head, I could faintly hear Casey calling to me.

"JD! Hey, JD! You okay?!" he had kneeled next to me, trying to calm me down.

_I was glad he was there. This would have been unbearable on my own. _

Another wave of pain hit me, and I thought I saw something. Like a picture just flashed in front of my eyes. It was of this girl.

She had bright orange hair and warm blue eyes. It was a little blurry though, so I couldn't make out her face to well. She was wearing a bright yellow shirt though.

When the flash stopped, the pain went away. Panting heavily, I pushed my self upward. Casey was at my side, looking panicked.

"What was that?!" he demanded.

"S-Sorry." I stammered.

"Jeez, ya really are messed up in the head." He murmured. "We better get ya to a hospital, fast." Grabbing my arm, he helped me to my feet.

We hadn't even gotten two steps towards the stairs leading into the apartment when something heaved itself over the side.

Snapping out attention to it, my eyes widened in horror to realize it was the 5 men chasing me before.

"Who are those guys?" Casey frowned suspiciously at them.

"My stalkers." I mumbled, pulling myself out of his grip to glare at them. _I wasn't in the mood for this. Yet at the same time, I had a feeling I could handle them. _"Casey, get out of here." I commanded, lifting up my bow. _I didn't want him involved in my fight. _

"No way." He smirked, twirling his hockey stick. "Protecting people who need help, it is my destiny!"

"Destiny?" I blinked. Stepping forward, he reached behind him to pull his hockey face in front of his face. It was a little creepy, to be honest, but the gruff look of it definitely fit his personality.

"I got your back JD." He promised, giving me a thumbs up. Stunned, I stared at him.

"Wha- No!" I argued instantly. "This isn't your fight. I can't drag you into this with me."

Giving me a smirk, Casey titled his head. "Do you know what this is? This will be Casey Jones' official, first attack against creepy goon creeps!"

"First?!' I gawked at him.

"Don't worry about it! I've had plenty of practice. Plus, it is better to work on the job, right?" he asked cockily, looking too confident in himself.

_I- what- ugh! I had a feeling I wasn't going to get through to this kid how dangerous this was. _

Feeling a small smile tug at my lips, happy to know he wasn't going to leave me alone, I nodded.

"I don't think I could convince you to leave at this point anyway." I agreed softly.

With that, the five men chased at us. Twirling his hockey stick once more, Casey charged. "Goongala!" he screamed as some sort of battle cry.

_…__Goongala? What on earth did that mean? There is Goon in there so- no, never mind. I'm just not gonna ask. _

Shacking my head, I turned back to the fight. While Casey charged to the two men to the left, I took on the other three. Ducking when the first tried to punch me, I side stepped and jabbed him hard on the side.

He stumbled, running into the other, who shoved him away roughly.

_I wasn't even going to question how I can do these sort of things anymore. It honestly just wastes time. _

Catching the punch from the third guy, I twisted his arm, making him wince when it twisted it almost to the point of breaker. Unable to go all the way though I twirled him around, like a ballerina, and shoved him into the other three.

Furious the three men turned back to me. Rushing at me all at once, they all went different directions to surprise me. I some how anticipated this though and dropped down to a sort of animalistic crouch. Waiting until they were close enough I leapt towards the one straight in front of me. Gripping his shoulders I lifted my self up to balance my self on top of him in a handstand and flipping over him, landing safely on my feet. Still rushing forward, it took only a half a step more from all three of them men to crash into each other in the place I was once standing.

_These guys weren't the brightest. _

Whirling around, I called to the boy I had met not to long ago. "Hey Casey! Are you alright?" Turning around, I was pleasantly shocked to find Casey was beating down his two opponents easily. Twirling his stick, he looked over his shoulder at me, his eyes glistening with excitement.

"You kiddin'?" He cackled. "I'm having a blast!"

Hands on my hips I shook my head at him. _You would think these sort of things happened to him every day or something. _

A shuffle to my right pulled me out of my thoughts just in time to catch the fist of the big thug. With a squeak of surprise I took out his legs and head butted him when he dropped down.

With a cry of pain he started to fall back. Moving quickly, I reached out, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt to hold him up.

"Who are you?!" I screamed in his face, tightening my grip on the collar of his shirt. "Why are you after me?!

Growling, the man shoved me away and stumbled back to his friend.

Lifting his head, he glared at me. Looking to his team, they had one of those creepy eye communication looks again and bolted for the fire escape.

"Hey! Come back and fight you cowards!' Casey yelled to them. Grabbing his arm before he could chase after them, I shook my head.

"It is fine. Let them go." I said quickly. _I had a feeling I would be seeing them again anyway. Which was sort of depressing. _

"Man, what a rip off." The younger teen grumbled, turning away. "Who were those guys anyway? You owe them money or something?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. Looking to where they disappeared, I was surprised when something glistened on the ground. At first I thought they had dropped one of their pockets knives, but closer inspection showed that it was a cell phone.

_One of them must have dropped it during the fight. _

Moving forward I lifted the phone up.

"What is that?" Casey questioned, balancing his hockey stick on his shoulders. Frowning I could see there was a new message on the phone. Glancing at Casey, who shrugged, I clicked to answer the text.

**_Hello, I welcome you to my game. I hope you are having a nice time with my henchmen?_**

Surprised, my eyes widened. This text message sounded like it was meant for me. In fact, I think it _is_ meant for me. Casey, who was leaning of my shoulder, must have thought the same thing, cause he scowled.

"Who is this creep?" he growled.

Deciding to reply, I quickly text back.

_Who are you?_

**_"_****_The Game Master_**_."_

_"_That is cheesy." Casey commented dryly

Agreeing with him, I texted back once more. _Why are you doing this? "What do you want?"_

**_"_****_I want you to compete in my game_**_."_

_"_Game? Like a Hockey game?" Casey inquired, leaning against his Hockey stick to stare at me. I shrugged, not sure what to answer.

**_"_****_As for why I am doing this, I have many reasons. For now, lets say it is just for my entertainment. Do not worry though; I am a fair Game master. I shall give you hints for you to win_**_."_

Confused beyond belief I titled my head. _Hints to win what?_

**_"_****_Your past. I must warn you though, going to authorities is a violation to this game. Bring in any legal assistance, and you shall lose; everything._**_"_

Freezing, my body felt numb. Before I could even think about replying, another text was sent in.

_"__**The games shall start very soon. I suggest you keep a hold of this phone if you wish to know the clues. I shall only give you four though. So be ready."**_

"So… that means?" Casey frowned in confusion.

"It means-" I narrowed my eyes. "That whoever this guy is, he knows who I am. And If I ever want to learn the truth, I'm gonna have to play his little game."  
>Surprised, Casey looked back and forth from the phone to me. "Jeez… sorry JD." He apologized.<p>

Giving him a weak smile, I shook my head. "Don't be. I'll just have to win this game, that is all." _I liked games. At least, I felt like I did. So this shouldn't be too hard, right?_

_But it was definitely scary. I didn't even know who this man was or what his intention was. So who knows what could happen in this game. _

"So, what are you doing to do now?" Casey looked around the roof, as if making sure the Gamer Master's henchman didn't show up again.

_Oh… what was I going to do now? I didn't have anywhere to go or anyone to turn to. _

I gave him a sheepish shrug. "I'll figure something out." I didn't want to involve Casey in my problems any more than I already had. It would be best if I just left.

_Casey seemed like a nice boy, after all. I didn't want him hurt. _

"Do you have a place to stay?" he folded his arms, staring me down.

"No, not really." I admitted, looking towards the fire escape. "I saw some nice benches on the way here though. I'll just find some newspapers and wrap my self up like a little homeless lady." I cooed the last part, hugging myself tightly.

Throwing his head back, Casey laughed. "No way! I can't let ya do that." He cackled.

"Huh? What do you mean?" I frowned. "I don't have anywhere else to go. So it is really my only option."

"Hey, don't you worry about it JD." Casey slapped a hand on my shoulder. "You can stay with my old man, sister, and me."

"Eh?" I gawked at me.

"Yeah! We got a spare room. My Pop was thinking about rentin' it out anyhow." Casey began to pull towards the fire escape and to the alley below.

_Hold the phone! What did he just say?!_  
>"What? No, no Casey. I couldn't- really! I've already imposed enough as it is!' I disagreed, trying to yank my arm back. His grip, tight as steel, didn't loosen.<p>

_Oh jeez, this day was just getting weirder. Now some kid was leading me to his house like I was some stray cat!_

_How would that conversation play out between his Dad. _

_"__Oh hey Dad, guess what. I found this stray girl on the way home and she needs a place to stay. Can we keep her? I'll feed and water her, promise!"_

_Yeah, that would be awkward. _

_"_Casey wait-" I tried again when he yanked me up some steps towards this small shop. It was a nice little shop that seemed to sell a large variety of things.

"Here we are, home." Casey beamed, letting go of my wrist to open the door. Stepping in, he motioned for me to come inside.

Standing awkwardly on the street, I blinked at him. "Casey, seriously. You don't have to do this."

"JD, just get in here." He reached out to pull me in, but I stepped back.

"You heard what the Game Master said. The game hasn't ended for me yet. Those goons were just the beginning. I don't want you getting hurt because of me." I insisted, my voice sound desperate.

Caught of guard, the younger boy blinked wildly at me. After a short pause, his eyes softened to a warm and happy grin. "JD, stop worrying. We're cool, really. If anything, I can at least give ya a place to crash." He motioned me in again. When I didn't step inside he added, "And he is one mean cook."

At the mention of food my stomach growled. _I was starving! When was the last time I ate? _

My stomach getting the better of my I finally agreed to come inside and pushed pass Casey into the shop. From what I could tell, there was a door at the corner of the shop leading to the actual apartment above.

Staring around, my eyes gazed over many different objects. Most of the equipment involved hunting, but there was also a lot of Hockey supplies within the room as well.

"Is this your shop?" I inquired.

"Yeah, it is the family business. My old man is the head guy here." He smirked at me, throwing his stick to the corner of the room. With a large thumb, it landed, echoing through the building.

"_Casey Jones_!" A booming voice filled the air, making me jump. "Where have you been boy!?"

I could hear heavy foot steps coming from the steps and turned towards the door. Someone was coming towards us, and they sounded big. Really big.

"Hey Pop, chill, will ya?" Casey called back to the voice. "We got a guest."

There was a loud stomping before a large form came trotting out of the door and into the shot. He was tall, looming over me like a giant.

"Who is this?" The man questioned, his voice gruff, yet oddly welcoming.

"This JD-"

"Phillis." I corrected, still baffled by the giant in front of me.  
>"J Phillis D." Casey decided to compromise. "Anyway Dad, not the point. I found this stray girl on the way home and she needs a place to stay. Can we keep here? I'll feed and water her, promise!"<p>

_He said exactly what I was thinking of before! Word for word! I'm not a pet Casey Jones!_

Tilting his head back, Mr. Jones began to laugh when I whipped around to slap Casey on the head, yelling at him that he couldn't just 'Keep me like his pet'.

"Okay, what is this really all about? I knew Casey would bring a girl home eventually, he's got the Jones family charm after all, but I didn't think it would be an adult women. Unless of course you like older women." Mr. Jones playfully nudged his son.  
>"Oh jeez Pop, no. As I said, I found her on the way here. She was being attacked by these dirt bags who attacked her Five to One." Casey explained.<p>

Frowning, Mr. Jones' attitude changed. He was suddenly serious and I felt a sudden urge to run from how he narrowed his eyes, ready for a fight. They were so cold, ready to murder anything that attacked him. "What sort of creeps? The Purple Dragon?" he growled

_Oh, am I sensing some bad blood between those two?_

_…__Who are the Purple Dragons anyway? Some sort of rock band? _  
>"Naw, it was someone else. This creep called the- the uh-" Casey paused to recall the name.<br>"The Game Master.' I answered for him.  
>"Yeah, that!' he pointed to me. "The Game Master sent his henchman after JD here. He wants her in his game."<p>

Turning to me, the large man stared me down, as if trying to read my mind or something. Hands on his hips, he frowned. "You owe the guy some money or something?"  
><em>Casey was so much like his Father. <em>

"No." I shook my head. "Well-" I hesitated. "Maybe. I don't know." _Once again I was left clueless from my amnesia. It was scary to not know what I had done, or who I was. Was I a good person? Or was I… was I someone evil? _

Sensing my sudden change in mood, Mr. Jones titled his head. "How do ya not know?"  
>"She's got amnesia Pop." Casey piped in when I found I couldn't make the words myself. "That Game Master guy says he knows how to get her memories back, but she has to play in that game of his." Turning to me, Casey motioned to my pocket. "Show him the texts."<br>_Oh right! _Stuffing my hand in my pocket I rummaged around for the phone. Finding it, I whipped it open and held it up for Mr. Jones to investigate.

Scanning over the words, he blinked, standing straight.

"That is definitely a large scrap you got yourself caught into Ms." Mr. Jones nodded grimly.

I nodded meekly. I was ready to say that I would leave, so I wouldn't bother Mr. Jones and his son, when Mr. Jones suddenly spoke up.

"Well, you are welcome to stay here for as long as you need." A wide grin spread across his face.

"What?" I lifted my head in surprise. _I… I couldn't! This is beyond imposing!_

"I insist." He patted me on the back with his bulky hand. I stumbled forward at contact, not expecting such strength from him.

"But…" baffled, I lowered my hands, which I held up in confusion. _I was so confused. I didn't understand why these people were doing this for me. "_…You don't even know me. I'm a stranger." I pointed out.

Nodding his head wistfully, Mr. Jones' smile never faltered. "You're right little lady, I don't." he agreed. "But ya know, I'm a stranger to ya too."

_He was right. I had just walked into Casey's house and talked with his family even though I know nothing about them. _

"So, if it is so bad that you're a stranger to us, then why is it okay we are strangers to you?" he folded his large arm cross his chest, his eye glinting in the light of the lamp.

Speechless I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. _I didn't know what to say. _

Looking to my feet, I shrugged like a small child being scolded. "I don't know Mr. Jones. I just… I don't understand. Why are you both doing all of this? I have done nothing for either of you."

"Well o'course ya haven't." Mr. Jones tilted his head back and laughed. "How could ya do somethin' for us when we haven't done anythin' for you?"  
><em>He kept turning my words around and slamming them right back in my face. <em>

"A strangers just a friend ya ain't met yet." The larger man above me said with such confidence that I felt a wave of relief wash over me. I couldn't explain why I suddenly felt so safe.

_…__Hey, wait a minute. I think I've heard that quote before._

"Aw Dad." Casey groaned. "Not another one of your quotes again." He shook his head at his Father, who apparently quoted a lot of things.

"It is a good quote boy! You should learn from it." His father poked his forehead. Swatting his hand away, Casey huffed.  
>"I do, I just don't say em' 247 like you do."

Nudging his son playfully, Mr. Jones' turned back to me. "That little lady was a quote by the man called-"

"Will Rogers." I said breathlessly. Surprised, the two males in front of me looked at one another.

"Oh, so you have heard of him, huh?" Mr. Jones seemed very pleased, unlike his son, who seemed to be dreading that I might be a fellow quoter like his Dad.

_…__I think I was a quoter, actually. _

Hesitant to answer, I frowned. "I'm not sure… I think I have."


	2. Chapter 2

I freaked out when I woke up the next morning.

I seem to freak every time I wake up because I can never recognize the area I'm in when I open my eyes. Which I am sure if very unhealthy if it happens to a person every time they wake up.

It wasn't until I rolled off the bed, entangled in my blanket and smacking my face into the floor, that I realized I was in Casey's house. Wiggling within my blankets like a worm, I inched myself forward, rolling onto my back.

Shifting my weight, I rocked back and forth, hoping to pull my arms free. "Oh… come on..." I grunted. I can manage to escape steroid induced men but I can't manage to get out of bed in the morning? That sounds so sad.

At the sound of someone knocking on the door I froze and tilted my head back to stare at it. "Ms. Phillis?" It was Mr. Jones, "Are you alright in there?"

Oh uh…" Well this was rather embarrassing, "Yes." I rolled back onto my face. "I'm fine!" I called, though my voice sounded sort of muffled.

"Alrighty then. Breakfast is ready and down stairs when you want some. Also, if you wanna take a shower just let me know and I can lend you some extra clothes."

"Clothes?" I frowned

"Yes, doubt any of my clothes would fit you so I can lend you some of my wife's. Unless of course you enjoy baggy clothes. I myself am a fan of them." he chuckled.

I tilted my head. I hadn't met Mrs. Jones yet so I felt curious to know what kind of person she was. Casey definitely seemed like his Father, but didn't exactly look like him. Perhaps Casey took more after his Mother's looks?

Now that I think about, why haven't I met his Mother yet? You would think she would have woken up last night during the time I came into the house, or stayed up to wait for Casey to get home, just like his Father. Perhaps she was a heavy sleeper?

Or… was she even around? There was no way I was going to bring that question up anytime soon. I mean, how could I possibly ask, _Hey, you got a Mom or what? _That is so rude! So very very rude and inconsiderate. So I'll just wait and see what they say and make my own personal assumptions.

"So I should get you some clothes then?" Mr. Jones repeated his question.

"Oh yes! Yes please, if you don't mind. Or if your wife doesn't mind."

"I'm sure she would be fine with it." he chuckled on the other side of the door before disappearing down the hall. Waiting a few seconds, listening to his fading footsteps, I rested my forehead against the wooden floor.

Well, I should probably get up at some point today. I can't just lie on the floor for the rest of my life. Curling into a ball, I forced my hand free out of its blanket cage, ripping off the sheets. At long last free, I rolled over and jumped to my feet.

I kind of felt like… uh…. that one guy. Oh I just had it in my brain! He has a red hat and is a plumber. You know who I am talking about, right? He goes around jumping on boxes and turtles and… strange mushroom men. Mario was it? Yeah, that. I kind of felt like him when I jumped up and hit the ceiling with my fist.

It didn't really hurt, but I wondered if it should since I just punched something.

"Hey JD!" Suddenly, Casey burst into the room. Staring at me, he frowned. "Why are you just standing in the middle of the room?"

"Why did you barge into a female's room?" I countered. "I could have been changing."

"Oh." his eyes widened. "Sorry." stepping back outside he closed the door and knocked. "..." He stood there, waiting.

"...You can come in." I called awkwardly. Stepping in, he chuckled.

"Better?"  
>"I suppose?" I frowned. Though it was kind of pointless since he came in without knocking anyway. "So uh… what can I do for you?" I shuffled back and forth, stuffing my hands into my pockets.<p>

"Well, my Pop told me to bring you these." he held up a bundle of clothes. "It is gonna snow today, so I doubt you wanna walk around in that." he pointed to my outfit. Though slimming and comfortable, I doubt it was stand well against the cold.

"Thank you very much." I took the bundle, examining the clothes. "So these are your Mom's?"

"They use to be." he nodded. We stared at each other. _Use?_ "...How are ya feeling JD?"

"How many times do I have to tell you, my name is Phillis." I sighed.  
>"Phillis is such a lame name though."<p>

"It is not! It is a beautiful name."

"Whatever you say."  
>Huffing at him, I smiled. "Thank you for asking though. I feel fine just… a little overwhelmed."<p>

"Have you gotten any new texts from that creep?" Casey scowled at the Phone I left resting on the nightstand. Realizing I had forgotten to check, I grabbed the phone and opened it up. I had no new messages… thankfully.

Don't get me wrong, I wanna learn about my past as soon as possible, but I would gladly avoid having to talk to that… **Game Master, **to do so. Seriously, this whole thing just creeped me out.

How was I connected to the Game Master? I'm assuming he has some sort of personal grudge against me if he was doing this, but what could I have possibly done to him? Certainly it wasn't anything bad enough that he would take away my memories, send men to attack me, and force me to go on some sort of scavenger hunt… right?

Well, I would say Yes, if only all of those things weren't actually happening right now.

"He hasn't sent anything." I said softly, staring at the blank screen.

"Well good." Casey nodded with a sniff. "I say we just get rid of that stupid phone." he grunted.

'No." I shook my head. "I need to get my memories back."

"Can't you get them back without having to do his stupid game though? I mean, how can he even give them back to you anyway?" Casey folded. "Sounds kind of weird to me. Like, did he just suck them out of you or something? I didn't think Memories could just be taken out."

"Well I…" I trailed off. "I mean, I dunno. He is the only lead I have to my past though, so what choice do I have?"  
>Casey sighed heavily. "I just don't like this. A creep like that shouldn't even be walking around on the streets-"<br>"Agreed." The two of us straightened when Mr. Jones came into the room. "And what is worse is that he doesn't wish for you to involve the Police."

"Mr. Jones." my eyes widened.  
>"Right now, there is nothing we can do about it. Both of you come down stairs, have some breakfast, then we can discuss this some more. I'm sure you are hungry Phillis." he grinned at me. As the sound of Breakfast my stomach had begun to growl. It was almost painful, like I hadn't eaten anything in a few days.<p>

"Food sounds amazing." I patted my stomach.

We all moved down the stairs together. From time to time, I would glance at the pictures that hung on the wall as I passed them. A lot of them were of Casey and a young girl, who I assumed to be his younger sister. "Do you like to play Hockey, Casey?" I inquired, pausing to look at one picture that had him on the ice, holding a trophy over his head, grinning wildly.

"You bet I do!" He grinned. "I'm the best in the league. No one can beat Casey Jones!"

I chuckled. "How long have you been playing?"  
>"He first got on the ice when he was 3." Mr. Jones said as I was lead into the kitchen. "Ever since then he hasn't been able to get off of it."<br>"It's a calling. One day, I'm even gonna go Pro." Casey folded his arms, smirking confidently.

"Not if ya don't get ya grades up ya won't." Mr. Jones gave him a playful pump on the head and pulled out a chair for me. Smiling at the gesture I sat down.

"So I guess that means you aren't the best in school?"

"Eh…. Math and Science aren't exactly my forte." the younger boy shrugged. "I'm okay with English though."

"You would think everyone in America would be able to pass English just fine, it is their native language." Mr. Jones shook his head, moving to the counter to grab a few plates of eggs and bacon had had previously made. yum yum!

"They don't even actually teach us English though!" Casey complained. "We learn about books and how to write long complicated Essays."

"Don't you have vocabulary lessons?" I inquired.

"Well… I guess sometimes." he shrugged, taking the plate from his Dad and handing it to me. "But we only learn super complicated words."

I nodded a few times. This was… strange. I wasn't sure how to explain this but I didn't feel… nervous around these people. Does that make sense?

I mean, I don't feel like these people are strangers to me. I'm having such a normal conversation even though nothing about this situation is normal. How strange is that? I just met these two after all, yet here we are, sitting here having breakfast and talking about school like normal families would.

...It was definitely strange but… kind of nice too.

"Papa~" from the hallway, a soft shuffle of feet began to approach us. Turning my head, my eyes widened at the sight of a young 5 year old girl stumbling into the kitchen. Still wearing her nightgown, with a white rabbit clutched in her fist and dragged behind her, she moved towards the table. "Morning…. I'm hungry~" The girl, like her brother, had big brown eyes and black hair.

"Morning Baby girl." Mr. Jones smiled. "Your breakfast is right there."

"Kay." she slurred, crawling up into the chair and scooting forward. Grabbing a fork and a spoon, she placed the two utensils onto the eggs, moving her hands back and forth in a sawing motion.  
>"Angel, you can't use a spoon to cut eggs you dork." Casey cackled. The 5 year old, Aka Angel, only half listening to her brother through her half asleep mind, blinked at him.<p>

"Spoon?"  
>"You're using a spoon." Casey pointed out. Looking down at her hands, the child blinked a few times, realization slowly hitting her.<p>

"Oh! A spoon." she giggled, putting it down. Using her fork for the rest of her food, she lifted it up to her mouth, munching down. Taking a few slow and steady chews, she glanced at me. "..." Her puffed out cheeks continued to move as she chew, staring at me with wide eyes. She took another bite, frowning a bit, as if something wasn't exactly right with this.

"Angel…" Casey snickered. We all waited patiently for her to realize that I was a stranger and sitting next to her.

"..." She slowly shook her head.  
>"Uh… hello." I waved.<br>'...OH!" she gasped in shock. "Papa! Papa! There is a girl in here!' she wailed.

"Took her long enough." Casey snorted at his sister.

"Baby girl, this is Phillis-"

"JD." Casey cut in.  
>"Phillis." I frowned at him.<p>

"JD."

"Phillis."

"JD is cooler!"

"I like Phillis!"

"That-"

"This is J Phillis D." Mr. Jones put his hands between us, separating us. "She is in a little bit of a pickle so she is gonna be staying with us for a while. Be nice to her, okay?"

Looking back and forth from her older brother to me, Angel slowly nodded her head. "Okay Papa." she agreed. "Oh! You can play with me!' she cheered. "Casey isn't good at tea parties."

Casey frowned and lifted up his pinkie. "I just don't get why lifting up your pinky makes you more sophisticated." he mumbled.  
>"W-Well…. I would love to play with you Angel." I smiled at her.<br>"Yeah! Philly, you and me will be best friends." she nodded her head.  
>"...Philly?" I sighed, not sure if I should dislike that name more or JD. I guess Philly is at least a little closer to Phillis than JD. Plus, it was cute when Angel said it.<p>

"So Philly, how old are you? Are you big brother's age?" Angel smiled sweetly.

"I think I'm a lot older than Casey." I chuckled.

I was, wasn't I? I mean, I feel a lot older than a teenager, but I don't look like one. I'm taller than him, so that must mean I'm definitely a few years older. I wonder how older though? Am I in my 20's…. or am I just a really young looking 30 year old?

"You do look like an adult." Casey nodded. "I bet you're 25 or something."  
>"25 seems correct for the time being." Mr. Jones nodded in agreement<p>

"Are you 5 like me?" Angel held up 5 tiny fingers.

"No, she is 25." Casey corrected.

"Maybe." I shrugged.

"Don't you know?" Angel asked, tilting her head. Frowning, I shook my head a few times.

"I'm afraid not. I don't remember who I am… or anything about myself." I explained. Angel's eyes widened.

"Like… Like Omnia?" She gasped.  
>"Amnesia Baby girl. Come on now, eat your eggs." Mr. Jones brushed a few crumbs off her pudgy cheeks.<p>

"Amnesia." Angel said in awe, staring at me. "So you can't remember nothing?"

I kind of wanted to correct her grammar, but instead I nodded a few times, giving her a weak smile. "That is right."

"Not even your birthday!?"

I nodded again. "Not even my Birthday."

Looking heart broken, as if that news was awful to her, Angel reached forward and patted my head. "I'm sorry."

"Oh no… No no, it is alright Angel. I'm not upset." I assured her.  
>"You aren't?" she sniffed.<p>

"Well I mean… yes, I'm a little upset." I chuckled. "But just because I have Amnesia doesn't mean I'll never remember again."

Angel nodded a few times, still looking concerned. I wanted to tell her everything would be fine and she didn't have to worry about me… But honestly, I didn't know if any of that would happen. What if I never remembered who I was? And what if this Game Master is only fibbing about knowing my past? I don't know…. I just don't know.

So I put on my best smile and kept eating. Mr. Jones and Casey were staring at me, but I wasn't able to look them in the eyes.

After Breakfast, Angel had brought me to her room to have, as she says, _Girl talk. _

It wasn't so much as a girl talk since she dragged Casey in as well, but I wasn't going to correct her. It was actually pretty cute to watch Angel sit Casey down at her little table. It was too small for him, so his knees poked out.

"Angel." he grumbled as his sister placed a frilly hat on his head.

"I'm Ms. Angel." Angel corrected, placing a hat on her head as well. "You are Ms. Cathleen, and Philly is Ms. Philly." she concluded, yanking me down to the table and plopping a large sun hat on my head.

"Here you go." Angel smiled as she handed me a teacup. Taking it awkwardly into my hands, I nodded my head.

"Thank you." I smiled. I suppose we are having some sort of tea party now.

"And here is some tea for Ms. Cathleen." Angel handed Casey a second teacup. Taking it into his fingers, he scowled at the pink and frilly design of it, not exactly pleased that he was dragged into this.

"Now, we sip!" Angel declared, lifting her cup. Taking an elegant sip, she gave us a look, signaling that she wanted us to do the same.

"Oh uh…." I lifted the cup to my lips.

"No!" she gasped. "Not like that!"

"Huh?" I jumped. "H-How then?"  
>"You hafta lift your pinkie." she wiggled her pinky in front of my face. Not sure what she meant I turned to Casey for help. He sighed, sticking out his pinkie as an example.<p>

Curious, I copied his movements and took a sip. "Like that?"  
>"Yes." Angel nodded, standing up and patting my head. "Good job." she praised as if I was a child who was younger than her. Could you count me as a child since I knew not a thing about anything?<p>

_….Not a thing about anything? God gosh, someone get me a book on proper grammar, jeez_.

"...Thanks?" I frowned. Angel giggled.

"Remember." she instructed. "When in doubt, pinkies out."  
>"Ooh." I nodded. "That is actually very clever."<p>

"Thank you." she bowed. "I made it up myself."

"You did not." Casey snorted. "That is a universal term."

"Is not." Angel hushed him.

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Is too!"

"Is not!" Angel tossed a pillow at him. Ducking Casey stuck out his tongue.

The life of siblings, it sounds so very complicated.

...I wonder if I have any siblings out there. If I do, I wonder if I argue with them like Angel does with Casey.

"Well, either way, that is a very smart way to remember the lesson." I chuckled, sticking my pinkie out and taking another sip. "Thank you for inviting me such a lovely tea party Lady Angel."

"Of course Lady Philly." she handed a plate towards me. "Crumpet?"

"Yes please." taking one of the little treats I plopped it in my mouth with a smile.  
>"See Lady Cathleen, that is how you speak in a Tea party." the younger girl scolded her brother.<p>

"Yeah yeah." he grumbled, chugging down the rest of his tea. "I'm getting out of here." he leapt off his chair and made a dash for the door.

"Wah! No!" Angel wailed chasing after him. "The party isn't over yet!" she chased him out of the room and down the hall. Sitting there for a little while, I placed my cup back on the table.

When 5 minutes rolled around and neither of them had yet to return I began to realize that Angel probably wasn't coming back.

Sighing, I exited the room and moved back to the Kitchen. Mr. Jones was cleaning the dishes and packing a few lunches for the kids.

"Where did Casey and Angel go?" I asked.

"Oh, they ran out into the yard. Something about Angel wanting Casey to come back to the party.' he chuckled, glancing over his shoulder at me. "I'm assuming they left you up there by yourself?"  
>"Heh, kind of." I rubbed the back of my head. He nodded.<br>"Sorry about that. Honestly, neither of them invite their friends over very much. So they easily forget we have guests sometimes when they are here." he turned back to the sink. "They are use to only hanging out with each other."  
>"Oh, I see." I nodded a few times. "Well, I don't mind. I'm a stranger after all. They have no obligation to hang out with me." I sat down at the table. "It is probably best I get going soon anyway."<p>

"Why's that?" he didn't look at me, but his voice was heavy.

"I…" I trailed off. "I need to figure out what this **_Game Master _**wants with me." I explained. "I don't want any of you to get involved or get hurt because of me." I stared at my feet. "You've already done so much for me."

"And what do you think you'll be able to accomplish alone?" Mr. Jones asked.

"What?"  
>"As you said, you have amnesia. You probably don't even know how to make your way through the city." he turned to me, drying his hands. "How do you expect to find a man that knows more about you that you do?"<p>

His words hit me deep, and in a way, they hurt… but they were true.

"I…"

"I don't mean to be rude or nothin' Phillis." he said quickly. "I just want you to think everythin' through before you go running off on your own. It don't want to see a nice young lass like yourself get hurt."

Mr. Jones was really nice. Almost too nice. What he said was true, but I didn't want anyone to get involved with this. For Pete's sake, those crazy men already attacked Casey last night when he tried to help me! He could have gotten seriously hurt.

"...I know." I mumbled. "I am thinking it through. All I can do is think about it and what I am going to do."

"And what is your plan?"

"...I don't know." I whispered. "I don't know what to do anymore."

The room was quiet for some time before Mr. Jones started the sink again to finish the dishes. "Well, until you figure it out, you are welcomed here Phillis."

"...Thank you." I said honestly. Staring at his back, I tilted my head, "Do you often let people stay with you?" I inquired.

"Hmm?" Mr. Jones hummed, not sure what I meant.

"Well, you said you rent out that spare room I'm staying in, so does that mean you have strangers living with you a lot?"

"I suppose." he shrugged. "We don't really advertise that we are renting out a room, so no one really knows about it." he chuckled.  
>"Oh." I nodded. "So then… what do you do Mr. Jones?"<p>

"Call me Dan." he said.

"...Eh?" I frowned.

"Dan, that is my name. Ya don't need to address me so formally. It makes me feel old." he sniffed.

"Oh sorry uh…. Dan." It felt super awkward to call him that. So I'll call him Dan out loud, but I'll keep him Mr. Jones in my thoughts. Yeah, that sounds like a plan. "What do you do for a living Dan?"  
>"Well, basically my shop down below."<br>"What kind of shop is it exactly?"

"Mainly a pawn shop, but I also do Auto repair when people ask for it." he smiled.

"Oh cool. So, you fix up cars a lot?"

He smirked and nodded at me. "Yeah, I even got a few rusty cars in the back I'm fixing up right now. Don't tell him, but I'm currently fixing up this old junker for Casey."  
>"Does Casey have a license?" I couldn't remember when kids got their license.<p>

"Yeah, he's had it for a few months. For a kid always looking for trouble, he is actually a pretty good driver.

I chuckled. That was a surprise.

"HEY!" suddenly Casey slid into the room, practically slamming into the table to stop himself. Scrambling out of the way, he barely avoided his little sister grabbing his shirt. "Come to the party!" she yelled.

They were still at this?

"Just drop it!" Casey commanded.

"No!"  
>"You have to be the most persistent kid alive!" he grunted, ducking when she reached to grab him again.<p>

'Papa!" Angel said. "Casey won't play with me."

"I did play with her." Casey argued, looking at his Dad. "I play with her all the time."

"No ya don't." she disagreed.

"Come on guys, stop fighting." Mr. Jones said, finishing up the dishes and closing up the Dish Washer to get it going. "Angel, how about you go play dress up instead?"  
>"I played dress up yesterday." she pouted.<p>

"Dolls?"  
>"No." her pout grew.<p>

Mr. Jones sighed, unsure of what else to do.

It was actually a pretty sweet sight, regardless of how pouty Angel was being. This was a perfect picture of a happy family. Honestly, what was a doing? Why was I dragging these nice people into my problems? I shouldn't have agreed to come here with Casey last night.

What was I thinking?  
>...Now I'm just feeling depressed.<p>

**_Bzzzz_**

The phone suddenly vibrated in my pocket, letting out a loud ringing noise. I froze.

Feeling a sickening chill run down my spin, I shakily lifted it out of my pocket and onto the table. The Joneses stared at the Phone, the whole room dead quiet.  
>'...You gotta text." Angel smiled, pointing to the phone.<br>"I do indeed." I mumbled softly.

"You gonna look at it?" Angel gave me a wide and innocent look, completely oblivious to how scary it was going to be to open the phone and see what it said. It was most likely the **Game Master** after all who was texting me.

...It might just be spam too, who knows.

Pray for spam.

If I opened that phone though, and it was the **Game Master**, that would mean his game has truly begun. If I started that game, would I be able to finish it?

It would be dangerous, the men from last night proved that.

"I… I don't think I can-" I bit my bottom lip nervously." I don't think I can do this." I admitted quietly.

"Why?" Angel frowned. "You just open it up and click the button-"

"Angel." Mr. Jones patted her head. "This is something different." he said solemnly.

"That don't make a difference." Casey almost screamed. "Go ahead and open it JD." he grinned. "You got the luck of Casey Jones on your side." he pointed to me.

"...I'm not sure if that is meant to comfort me." I answered honestly.

"It is." he frowned.  
>"It didn't." I sighed.<p>

He scoffed, sounding insulted. "Way to be faithful JD." he scowled. I frowned. "..." Sighing, he patted my shoulder. "Don't look so down. Come on."

"He's right Phillis." Mr. Jones smiled. "My own Pop once told me, to get things down, sometimes just means taking that first step."

I almost cried. These people were really really nice.

"...Okay." I let out a shaky breath.

Flipping open the phone, I bit my bottom lip. Pressing enter, I watched large black letters appear on the screen.

_Hello my Dear. How are you? Have a good night sleep? I hope so. You asked for some clues, and I shall deliver. So start your journey, by answering my riddle._

"Why is he rhyming?" Casey scowled over my shoulder.

"It isn't a very good Rhyme." Mr. Jones sniffed.

_Here is my Riddle, answer it fast. You might just miss it along with your past__. _

_What has holes on each side, but can still hold water?_

"What kind of clue is that?" Casey threw his hands up.

"He…. He did say it was a Riddle." I gulped. Mr. Jones placed a comforting hand on my back.

"He told us we have to solve it fast, meaning there is a time limit to this." he rubbed his chin.

"Solve what?" Angel inquired, trying to peek over all our shoulders and see. "I wanna see!" she got on her tippy toes.

"Not now Angel, we got a riddle to solve." Casey patted her head.

"Riddles! I love riddles! Tell me it!" she began to bounce.

"... What has holes on each side, but can still hold water?"

"A box?" Casey asked.

"Water would still pour out though." Mr. Jones said.

"...Cheese?" he guessed again.  
>"I don't think so." I mumbled.<p>

"Then how about… um…" he scratched his head. "A…"

"I have a few guesses." Mr. Jones admitted. "But none of them make sense."

"What do we do once we solve the riddle?" Casey growled. "This guy isn't specific at all!"

"I don't think he is trying to be." I felt my anxiety rising. How long exactly did we have to figure this out? And even if we did figure it out what do we do? Do I text it back? I guess so.

"A sponge." Angel pulled my sleeve.

"What?" I frowned. Why does she want a sponge? "I don't know where a sponge is Angel. Sorry-"

"No, it's a sponge." she grinned. "The Riddle."  
>"...Eh?" my eyes widened. Reading the riddle again, Angel's guess made sense. A sponge had holes on each side and could still hold water.<p>

"Way to go Angel!" Casey cheered. "Oh but wait… what does a sponge have to do with anything?"

"Who knows? Might as well text him the answer though." Mr. Jones nodded to me. Nodding back, I texted the **Game Master **back, my fingers trembling.

_"A Sponge."_

Seconds later, there was a reply. "_Yes. Very good. You answered my riddle."_

"HAH!" Casey cheered. "Take that you stupid Game freak!" he cackled. "..." He lowered his hand. "...Now what?"

I shook my head a few times, frustrated. "I dunno." I mumbled. "I dunno." feeling angry that I was getting so worried over such ridiculous riddles, I text the Game Master again. "_I answered your riddle. Now what?"_

_"Why my dear, it is simple. You just take a look outside." _

"Outside?" Mr. Jones was already making his way to the door. Shuffling after him, we piled down the stairs and out the store door. Pushing onto the porch, we scanned the area.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There were a few citizens across the streets and some kids running around… but that was about it.

Was this guy just playing with us?! The jerk-!

"_Come to the Sponge exhibit!"_

...What?

Looking to the right, down the road, we could see an old looking van heading in our direction. It had a speaker on the top of it that was playing a constant message. Most of the kids stopped to stare at it. "_Come to the Sponge Exhibit!" _it repeated._ "See Sponges you never thought existed before now! Be amazed and bring the family to this wonderful family activity!" _The van said from its speakers as it honked down the road.

"A…. what?" Casey mumbled.

"A sponge exhibit!" Angel cheered, clapping.  
>"...You have got to be kidding me.' I mumbled. Seriously... a sponge exhibit? What kind of nonsense is that?!<p>

If I do have a family out there, I wonder if one day, if I see them again, if they will believe me if I tell them that the time I was missing, I was spending it in a Sponge Museum?

… I didn't even think those existed. Apparently I was wrong.

**_Hey everyone. So, I'm back. I don't know for how long, but I am. _**

**_Very sorry about the long delay. _**

**_A lot of things have been happening at home. New Semester at school, work, and a lot of other things. Plus with Christmas, it is bound to be a crazy time. _**

**_Yeah, a lot of other things happened, but I'm gonna start my updating with this story. :) thanks for sticking with me guys. You are all so amazing. _**


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